The renowned psychologist and psychiatrist Carl Jung’s creative thinking process in relation to  the workings of the psyche was influenced by a number of important factors.

Firstly, he was an avid researcher and student, and read voraciously on the subject of the mind. He also related extensively with his peers in person and in letter-writing to gain insights into a wide range of thought

In his early career he was also a protégé of Sigmund Freud and spent considerable time and effort in understanding Freud’s theories.

Secondly, Jung engaged in a great deal of self-analysis and credited this process with unveiling new ways of approaching the concepts of consciousness.

This was particularly evident after Jung suffered from what today might be described as “burnout” or “nervous exhaustion”. Jung has written that this “illness” and the resulting introspection he undertook were profoundly productive in his development in both psychology and for his psychiatric practice.

His third source of insights, his patients, is generally not so well known, and yet could be the most important of his sources. In his book, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Jung notes:

“From my encounters with patients and with the psychic phenomena which they have paraded before me in an endless stream of images, I have learned an enormous amount…I have had mainly women patients, who often entered into the work with extraordinary conscientiousness, understanding, and intelligence. It was essentially because of them that I was able to strike out on new paths in therapy.” (1)

(1) Quoted in Claire Dunne’s book, Carl Jung: Wounded Healer of the Soul, Parabola Books, 2000, New York

— Dennis Mellersh